Wear plate for dredge tumblers



. A. C. PENNER.

WEAR PLATE FOR DREDGE TUMBLERS.

I APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1921. I 1,430,846.

Patented Oct. 3

' INVENTOR. .6, C. Penna:

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A. C. PENNER.

WEAR PLATE FOR DREDGE TUMBLERS.

AiPLlCATlON FILED APR. 18, I921.

Patented Oct. 3, 1922..

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,2 SHEETS INVENTOR. 4. C, P6177167".

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AER/AM EARL PENNlZ-It, 0E O ROVILLE, CALIFOR.

ASSIGNORO'F ONE-HALF T0 GEORGE SIBBETT, 0F BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

WEAR PLATE FOR DREDGE TUKVIEBLERS.

Application filed April 18, 1921. Serial No. 462,372.

To all whom it may concern) Be it known that I, ABRAM CARL PnNNnR, citizen of the United States, residing at Uroville, in the county of Butte, State of California, have invented a new and useful Wear Plate for Dredge Tumblers, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a wear plate used on the driving tumbler of a dredge. It will be understood by those skilled in the art, that in gold mining it is common to employ a dredge which has a driving wheel at the upper end of the dredge ladder over which the line of buckets pass which is from four to six feet in diameter and which weighs anywhere from ten to twenty tons.

In order to support the tremendous weight of a line of dredge buckets, each weighing from one half to two tons and containing from one half to one ton of gravel, it is necessary to provide wear plates on the most exposed part of the tumbler to prevent it from wearing out sooner than it should. The plates may be removed from time to time as they are worn out, but owing to the tremendous weight supported by the tumbler and plates, they must be fastened to the tumbler as rigidly as possible. The constant pounding of the buckets tends to make the plates loose, in which event, the tumbler surfaces under the plates are worn out more rapidly than when the plates are tight.

In the present instance wedge surfaces are used to connect the wear plate with the driving tumbler and a wedge is driven into a reprovided in the tumbler to hold the wear plate in the proper position, which wedge is so placed that there is little danger of the s'wedging of the bucket or wear plate material over the wedge so it cannot be withdrawn.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for connecting the wear plates and tumbler which will not require much actual machining as would be necessary with some other methods of attachment, for the reason that the material of which the tumbler and wear plates is made is so hard and tough that it is exceedingly diflicult to machine it.

Other objects of the invention will ap ear as the description proceeds.

in .diment of the invention is shown in the drawings in which the same reference numeral is applied to the same portion throughout, but I am aware there may be modifications thereof.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in section, of the driving tumbler.

Figure 2 is an end view, partly in section. of the driving tumbler.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the driving tumbler showing the means for connecting the wear plate therein.

Figure 4 is an edge view of one of the wear plates.

Figure 5 is a plan vew of one of the wear plates.

l igure 6 is an end view of one of the wear plates.

In the drawings:

The numeral 1 indicates the shaft of the tumbler 2. The tumbler proper, which is ordinarily cast integral with the shaft, may be cast separate therefrom if desired. The tumbler has a plurality of radially extend ing webs 3, in the present instance six, and the outward portion of the tumbler is provided with six plain surfaces standing at right angles to the next adjacent web, and upon each of which is secured the wear plate 4t.

The wear plate 4 has two wedge surfaces indicated at 5 and 6 and a depending wedge shaped lip 7. At the back of each plain surface of the tumbler there is a groove to receive the lip 7 and it is wide enough to receive the wedge 8, while at the front of the surfaces upon which the wear plates rest there are two lugs 9 and 10. which contact with the wedge shaped surfaces 5 and 6.

At the edge of the tumbler there are a plurality of driving teeth 12 and 13, the number corresponding with the number of wear plates on the tumbler.

In operation it will be observed that the wear plate is pushed into position from the back and the wedge 8 is knocked out of place, then the wear plate may be pushed back from engagement with the lugs 9 and 10, and removed from the tumbler for replacement. itwill thus be seen that the wear plate is very firmly held in the required position, while at the same time it is easily removed for renewal.

What I claim is as follows, but various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above parllO flat plate having a depending lip with a reentrant angled face, and having two flaring wedge surfaces produced adjacent the 0pposite edge of the plate and a flat wedge adapted to bear against the depending lip of the plate to secure said plate against complementary wedging surfaces of a dredge tumbler.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 20 my hand this 8th day'of April. A. D. 1921.

ABRAM CARL PENNER. 

